Turtles Storytime Lesson Plan

Books

Hurry Up and Slow Down by Layn Marlow, Holiday House, 2009.
Scoot! by Cathryn Falwell, Greenwillow Books, 2008
Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo, Henry Holt & Co., 2011.
Turtle Island by Kevin Sherry, Dial Books, 2014.
Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell, Greenwillow Books, 2008.
Turtles by Patrick Merrick, Child's World, 2007. (or nonfiction book of choice)

Songs (all linked accessed 9/20/15)

The More We Get Together with ASL
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom
Turtle, Turtle
Sung to: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

Turtle, turtle moves so slow,
Crawling, crawling, watch him go
At the pond he looks around,
See his head move up and down.
Turtle, turtle wants to swim,
Now he slides and dives right in!

Flannel Board
Five Turtles

Fingerplay/Song
Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle)

Craft
Turtle

Every Child Ready to Read Skills/Practices

Sing—children sing along with songs during storytime
Talk—ask the children about if/where they’ve seen turtles and show/tell nonfiction books about turtles (background knowledge)
Read—ask the children to read the select onomatopoeia written on mini signs on popsicle sticks
Write— children write names on name tags and their craft project
Play—children form a turtle shape with their hands during the Tiny Tim song and pretend to crawl, swim, move like a turtle

Possible Asides to Parents & Caregivers

Vocabulary -(Reading) Listen for words that are new to you in “Scoot!” and ask your grown up what they mean.

Narrative Skills (Talking) - In “Melvin and the Boy” what happened after the boy saw the turtle in the pond?

Print Awareness - (Reading) Pointing out words on a page, and asking children to say words with you, helps them understand that printed words and letters correspond to what they hear. And, in “Scoot!” the appearance of words changes throughout the story.

Phonological Awareness (Singing) - Songs slow down the sound of words and help children build awareness of the sounds that make up larger words.

Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress

Domain: Language, Literacy and Communications:
Language comprehension
Artistic expression and interpretation
Vocabulary and syntax
Shape and picture recognition and interpretation
Motivation, engagement
Letter recognition
Concepts of print
Comprehension of narrative text

Storytime Implemented

Storytime for 3 to 5 year olds
Welcome: “The More We Get Together” with ASL and “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom”
Introduction: Puppet presents the letter of the day: “T” (train, truck, tank, tongue, turtle)
Book: “Scoot!” (Falwell)
Song: “Turtle, Turtle” (with a turtle puppet if available)
Book: “Melvin and the Boy” (Castillo)
Finger Play/Song: “I Had a Little Turtle”
Book: "Turtles" (Merrick)
Farewell Rhyme: “Tickle the Clouds
Craft: Turtle Craft - coloring, cutting, writing

[Consider inviting a local nature center to visit. They may bring turtle shells and even a turtle to show the group.]